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 Veteran
Posts: 115
Location: Land of the Icicles, Minnesota | Flies are always an issue in the fall for us. We do use fly boots and fly sheets. Have tried the Fly Predators but just curious if anyone out there has tried the fly supplements for their horses...Do you think they make a difference? Or cant tell? Any brand you would recommend if you have used them?
Thank you! :) |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
  
| Bump. I'm curious about the use of garlic powder in feed for flies. I don't like the thought of feeding a chemical to keep the flies away. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 808
| I honestly have nothing to add either but I'm curious. I just moved to Kentucky in August and the bugs are freaking awful!
Fleas, ticks, flies, bot flies, and nats!
Anything to help reduce these on the horses and I'm all for it! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 634
| I have noticed a slight difference with feeding garlic, but to me it really helps to keep the barn clean and have the manure pile a little bit away from the barn so that the flies aren't as bad inside the barn or the turnouts.
I do also notice a difference when I use the pyranha shampoo every two weeks during the summer. I have one horse (OTTB) that gets really big whelps from the flies and it really does help him a lot. It doesn't wash off when they sweat. I am typically not a huge fan of putting chemicals and stuff on them, but it does work.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I am no expert, but I have heard and feel they are a waste of money and time. The only one I think that works is the feed through that doesn't allow fly larvae to survive in manure. I am not sure but I don't think that is a good choice alongside fly predators. Also, if there are nearby sources of non treated manure, the flies will just hatch in that, even if it is your neighbor. Finally, is it quite expensive to feed to a whole herd and it has a little bit of controversy with being totally healthy, especially for bred mares. I don't think garlic or sulfur helps much at all. Good fly spray works the best. If you have a barn, the fly spray system is a godsend. Also, spreading the manure daily seems to help also.
Edited by Tdove 2016-03-17 2:06 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
Location: Michigan | We fed the Equitrol for a few years to 6 horses. It helped quite a bit, until August would come. Then it was like a different breed/kind of fly would come and it wouldn't help.
We switched to Solitude on the advice of a friend. Have fed it for 3 years now & it works great - even in August. It's quite a bit more expensive, but well worth the money. We hardly have any flies.
We live in Michigan. |
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Regular
Posts: 79
| We did fly predators for years and garlic .. still had a lot of flies and used a lot of fly spray to boot..we decided n.ot to do the predators and put that money toward Solitude. The company I bought the garlic from refunded me my money and I didn't have to send back the unopened container. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| MissHolly - 2016-03-17 8:53 PM
We did fly predators for years and garlic .. still had a lot of flies and used a lot of fly spray to boot..we decided n.ot to do the predators and put that money toward Solitude. The company I bought the garlic from refunded me my money and I didn't have to send back the unopened container.
How have you liked the solitude? |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | A friend of mine feeds garlic to her horses. As long as she starts early in the year (March) it does make a difference. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
| I have fed Bug Check for the last 2 summers. I thought it helped a lot, but it wasn't 100%. I have calculated the cost and it's too much to feed this summer. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | I tried feeding Springtime Inc's garlic and couldn't get my horses to eat it. I gave it to a friend and her horses ate it no problem.  |
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Veteran
Posts: 115
Location: Land of the Icicles, Minnesota | Curious about the Solitude...I've read a few reviews that say it works great! Anyone else use that for a supplement? |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| A friend told me she had very good results with Simplifly from Smartpak. |
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 Sorry I don't have any advice
Posts: 1975
Location: Sunnyland Florida | RoaniePonie11 - 2016-03-17 2:37 PM Bump. I'm curious about the use of garlic powder in feed for flies. I don't like the thought of feeding a chemical to keep the flies away.
I agree, I hate the idea of putting bad chemicals into the horse on purpose. They get enough chemicals in commercial feeds, some hays, etc.
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boon
Posts: 3
| I've had success with Farnam SimpliFly with LarvaStop feed through supplement. I generally start adding the supplement the end of January as it does take a few weeks to become effective. Here in Florida, the flies increase with the heat. Of course, I agree with the other comments that removing manure is most effective. I still use fly spray when necessary, but the supplement has significantly reduced the number of flies at my barn and pastures.
Good Luck! |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| TBone - 2016-03-18 8:27 AM
I tried feeding Springtime Inc's garlic and couldn't get my horses to eat it. I gave it to a friend and her horses ate it no problem.
Mine wouldn't eat it either but it sure made my tack room smell like an Italian restaurant!
I've tried Preditors and they didn't work for me.
This year, I am going with Shoo Fly leggins, a fly sheet and a mask because the flies absolutely eat my poor mare alive. |
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